DIY Ombre Rain Chain

When I visit other countries, I’m always fascinated by some of the simplest differences in even the most mundane things. A perfect example: rain chains. My husband and I visited Japan last Fall, and I noticed these beautiful copper chains — often with a series of cups — hanging from the gutters of homes and even temples. I assumed they were purely decorative, but in fact, they replace downspouts and harness the flow of rain water in such a simple, calming way. What a beautiful concept, no? What’s even better is that a simple rain chain is a super easy DIY, and adding a little custom color is only marginally more work — and well worth it. –Mandy Pellegrin

MATERIALS:
10 mini terracotta pots
blue, black, and white paint
paint brush
8′ of large chain
10 small chain links (small enough to fit through the hole in the bottom of the pots)

TOOLS:
2 sets of pliers

Directions:
1. Mix up four or more shades of blue by adding a small amount of black to the blue paint for the darkest shade and varying amounts of white for the lighter shades.

2. Give each of of the mini terracotta pots a couple of coats of one of the shades of blue. With four shades, I painted three pots in the lightest shade, two pots in each of the two middle shades, and three pots in the darkest shade.

3. Divide the large chain into 11 equal lengths. To separate a chain link, grip a set of pliers on either side of the link’s opening. Rotate your wrists in opposite directions to push one end of the link away from you and the other end towards you. Separate the ends just enough to slip an adjoining link off. If you’ve ever done any jewelry-making, it’s the same technique with just a little more elbow grease. You will use this same technique to detach the 10 small chain links you’ll need to assemble the rain chain.

4. Assemble the chain by slipping one one small chain link through the hole in the bottom of each pot and attaching a length of the large chain on either end of each small link. Close each link by reversing the technique used to open them. Hang your completed rain chain wherever it will get a decent amount of rain during the next storm, and enjoy!

So simple! Love, love, love this! I have about 35 of these mini terracotta pots leftover from my wedding centerpieces (10+ years ago) that will work perfectly. I’m from Seattle and love the rain. Can’t wait to do this project.

Lovely – fantastic design, this, you should bung it onto Pinterest. I think I’d probably mess this up if I tried it, though, as DIY isn’t really my thing. I only got a C at GCSE tech design, so this proves it.

I like this idea but wouldn’t be allowed in my area (we have to have downspouts that take water away from the foundation of our houses). Maybe it would be better if you were collecting the rainwater in a barrel for re-use?

sorry for this negative news, but i wanted to mention that i painted a few terracotta pots a long time ago, and after i watered my plants, the paint bubbled. perhaps i used a different (wrong) paint than you? anyhow, i appreciated learning about rain chains! thank you!

What a lovely idea! When painting the pots, make certain that you cover every little bit of them with paint, then seal with a little waterproof varnish. Otherwise, water can cause the clay to swell slightly and then the paint will bubble and peel. I painted a clay pot as a beautiful table base back in 1995, and it looks as though it was painted yesterday. I live in northern Canada and my supplies were very limited at the time, so I used what I had (which was regular craft paint, not the outdoor type). Hope this answers some concerns about painting the pots.

I have seen these made with little metal buckets also. The aluminum shouldn’t rust and even if it did the patina would still look nice or buy painted ones at the dollar store. I have seen these made with copper in the DR but I think this would make the cost a little high. A rain barrel at the bottom is one place for the water to flow. Also a hole about three feet deep and filled with river rocks is another.

I have been collecting terra cotta pots for sometime now. This looks great to go with my terra cotta pot scarecrow and pot worm, the colors of my cabin and garden. Hope I can just use a sealant so the terra cotta color stays the same.

I made a couple of these for our first house in Boynton Beach in 2000. I used progressively smaller terra cotta pots with the smallest at the bottom. I used a small chain and old wire coat hangers cut into small hooks. We did a drive by the house last summer and what a surprise they were still there but with an aged look that was wonderful. I wished I had taken a picture.

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